took her arm and they walked down the corridor. “We won’t be missed at the party. They’ll have more fun talking about us if we’re not there.” He shot her a smile.
“Yes.” Her arm felt rigid in his.
AJ led her through the lamplit passages of the private quarters of the palace and into his private sitting room. It adjoined the bedroom; no one would come to disturb them here. The guests would stay until dawn, then stumble drunkenly to their chauffeured cars.
Priia had redecorated the room in his absence, in a simple, masculine style that he rather liked. No doubt now he’d be expected to move into the royal bedchamber, but there was no way he’d spend the night in a room where Lani had once slept with Vanu.
He gestured to a low chaise covered in soft leather. Lani perched stiffly on the edge of it.
“Would you like some wine?” He gestured to the stocked bar in one corner.
“No, thanks. I’m fine.” Her rushed response surprised him. He moved to the cabinet and poured a glass for himself. He sat next to Lani on the sofa, each of them upright, formal, painfully separate. Even his favorite vintage tasted slightly bitter on his tongue.
What had he got himself into?
He set his glass down. “You don’t have to marry me, you know.”
Lani’s gaze snapped to meet his. “But of course I want to.” The gleam of panic in her eyes warred with her reassuring words.
“I know my mom has probably put a lot of pressure on you, and now I’ve piled on some more by publicly declaring I’d marry you, but I don’t intend to force you into anything. If you want to call it off, just say the word.”
He braced himself for her response. Her rejection.
The events of tonight had lit a fire inside him—a fire of warm ancient traditions and comforting rituals, and he’d committed to keeping that fire alive. The prospect of spending his life with the beautiful Lani had suddenly seemed to be one of the sweeter benefits of taking up the role his country expected of him.
Even now, her golden gaze sent a charge of electricity snaking through him, and his fingertips ached to roam over her soft skin.
But not if she didn’t want him. He had more than enough women after him back in L.A. There was no reason on earth good enough to force a woman into bed with him if she didn’t want to be there.
“I don’t want to call it off.” Lani’s words came out in a staccato rhythm. “I want to get married as soon as possible.” She wiped her palms on the shimmering fabric of her evening dress.
AJ cocked his head. “Then why do you look so damned unhappy about it? “
“I am happy, really.” She reached out to him and wrapped her arms stiffly around him. The goose bumps on her arms rasped his skin.
“You have a funny way of showing it.” Still, the hopeful gesture warmed his heart. He turned and put his arm around her. Only to find that she was shivering, her whole body tense and rigid.
He raised a thumb to her cheek and stroked it. “You need to relax.”
“I know. I’m just… excited.”
Panicked, more like. Maybe she was afraid he’d want to make love to her tonight? “We don’t have to rush into anything.”
“Oh, but we should. Everyone is expecting it.” Something flashed in her eyes, panic, or calculation, he couldn’t tell which. Curiosity unfurled in him like a flame.
He tilted his head and held her gaze. “You think they expect us to sleep together?”
“Probably, yes.” She nodded.
He lifted a brow. Heat flared in his groin. “Do you think we should?”
Her cheek heated under his thumb. “Yes, I do.” Her voice was low, breathy.
AJ blinked. He’d not expected that answer. In fact he’d had no intention of doing more than kiss her for now. But maybe she wanted to get such a big milestone out of the way? Or to make sure he was a considerate lover before she committed the rest of her life to him? There were many possible explanations, under the bizarre circumstances.
And since he was a healthy male, any one of them would do. He rose from the sofa, and took her hand. “Then I guess we’d better go into the bedroom.”
Lani followed AJ, her hand in his. She could do this. It was best for Rahiri, and for the family. AJ would be king, his mom would be happy, and her child would be free to grow to adulthood before taking on the responsibilities and pressures of the monarchy.
AJ turned to her on the threshold and took both her hands in his. “Are you sure?”
She hesitated. He was truly a thoughtful man, one who deserved a better woman than she. But if Priia’s plan was to succeed she must… do the deed with him at the earliest opportunity.
Do the deed. Even the phrase suggested a crime, but she couldn’t really call it “making love” under circumstances like this.
Making love. She’d never done that with Vanu, either. No love had existed between them, though she’d certainly tried hard to find some in the first few months—before she’d realized Vanu had no love lurking anywhere inside him.
AJ stroked her cheek again, which made her shiver slightly. A warm shiver of pleasure. His touch was gentle, encouraging, his big hands sensitive. Lani lifted her own fingers and gingerly caressed his shirtfront. Thick muscle rose to greet her fingertips through the crisp, black surface.
He had a sensational body. She’d seen him swimming in the lagoon one morning while she was on her way to breakfast. Her heart had almost stopped beating at the sight of his broad shoulders gleaming in the morning sun while water licked over his sturdy, bronzed physique.
Desire rose inside her, trickling up from her core. She could do this. And enjoy it.
AJ’s hands reached for the sash at her waist and pulled carefully at the elaborate knot. She helped him get it undone and the thick strip of silk fell to the floor at her feet. He stroked her back, then put his hands on either side of her waist, caressing her through her dress.
Her breath caught. What if he felt her belly and noticed it was no longer flat? It wasn’t very round, but in the last couple of days there was a noticeable bump.
Guilt forked through her and she plucked at the buttons of his shirt. Better to get on with things and get him so wrapped up in the act that he didn’t notice anything strange about her body.
And he thought she was so nice.
Her heart hammered wildly as she pulled his black tunic away from his skin, revealing his smooth, strong chest. Her nipples tightened, straining against her bra, and her insides seemed to twist into a knot. Was this excitement okay for the baby? She knew sex was supposed to be fine during pregnancy, but somehow it seemed wrong to feel pleasure under the circumstances.
AJ’s dark eyes met hers as she glanced up at his face. He smiled. “I think I might be the luckiest man alive.”
Lani swallowed. No, the luckiest man alive would have a wife who was honest and open, not one who needed to have sex with him as soon as possible so it would look like her child was his.
She dropped her gaze to the button on his pants, and worked at it. Her fingers sprang away as if stung when she noticed the thick, hard arousal hiding beneath the zipper.
AJ laughed. “As you can see, I’m quite attracted to you.”
She managed to smile. “And I to you.” An understatement. Her insides pulsed with arousal and somewhere deep inside her ached in a way she’d never felt before.
AJ